Combination dispenser



Filed Dec. 8, 1945 FIG? INVENTOR. JOHN MCFARLANE ATTORNEY Patented Sept;19, 1944 OOMIBINATION DISPENSER 3 John McFarlane, Tl'enton Nr J; rApplication December s,194a, seriarNo.51ess9; 9 Claims. (classmate) 7This irivention=relates-to dispensers for salt and pepper, and aims toprovide a practical and simple com'bina-tion dispenser wherein a singlearticle or container may be'utilized selectively to dispense either saltor pepper, or either one of any other combination of two condimentsa Thebody of "the containerj'including all the parts thereof; may be=made ofany desirable or suitablemateriai, but perhaps the preferred materialWould-be-one of the many varieties of plastic-*material av ilable on themarket.

' -nndther obiectof the invention is the provisionio'f' means wherebyinadvertent dispensing of both-sa-lt and pepper; resulting either from acareless -orhasty hand-ling of the container, is

prevented? "I'hismean's automatically shuts off one of the twocondiments while the other is being-dispensed; andifl'shuts offboth inthe event that the container is held. in an upside downposition."Thismeans-flends a fool-proof feature t'o'tl'i'e'article.

The'a'b'ove and'othenpbjectswi'll "become apparent in the'deSd iPtiOnbelow; wherein characters of reference referto like-numbered partsonthe-accompanyingdrawing. It-is to be noted thatthe drawing isintendedto serve-the purpose of"' il1ustration only,";-andthatit isneither intended =nordesired }to limit the invention necessarily 'to theexact details of -con struction shown,

excepting "insofar as'such-details' may be essential totheinvention, I g

e i mie-i fi he r wi ff ig. "1*- i'sga longitudinal .f cro'ss-sectionalelevationalview'of thedispenser. V

jFig. 2; is aside elevational view of the dis penser.

' Fig '3 isia'partly front view and a partly longf tudinal crosssectiona'l View, of the "dispenser in tiltedmositionsuch as it mayassumein the act"ofdispensingthecontents of one of its two m men s,- i

Fig. 4 is'a' cross-sectional view takenon the lineitwof Figel.

Fig. 5 is 'a cross-sectional view taken on line 5-5 of Fig. 1.

Referring in detail to the drawing, the numeral Ill indicates the bodyof the combination dispenser and includes the enlarged base H.

Y The body is formed in rounded or curved outas a partition whichdivides the interior of the body 113' into two compartments [4 and 15.Each compartment |"4' 01:15 is adapted to contain one of the twocondiments ;in" powdered or granular formgsuch'as, for instanc'e,1saltand pepper. I I

t topj i ge sh em 'a tmen Hand 5, and at the outsidejthereofj openingsl'6*afre provided "through the bodywall to A give access into thecompartment; the planes of these openings. which are circular,extending, angul'arly toward each other, substantially shown, although.the.

' degree of angularity' may of course be varied as desired. Theopenings. l'li are threaded; and caps fl 5;"provided with 'a;plural ityof perforations.

ter pivot'ally,jthese recesses being so positioned w thj fis ct to. hefap fla g s to be co p e-fl m ntary wit h posit qni j f e pins 20 with.respectjto the flaps I 9; so "that. wheni the flap. 7 H1 lieisi meximummximitytothe. cap, a will be setforth below. the'flap .will shut off,the' passage throughjthe,perforationsiof the cap. At a.positiondiametrically opposed to theimag'inary, line joining the:'aIignedQpins 20 of the flap l9.

or, rather, of the 'line through the recessesfof.

the cap flange in which. these. pins registen'the flange. of the. capis. widened to'form an. arcuate block. 2|, which serves .as .a limit?stop forv the cap as will. presently Ibe'c'ofnev apparent. "In order toassure properpositioning of the-flaps 1-9 when the caps I i-are screwedintoplace, afcollar 221 may be providedfomthecap;

The device may be used as a combination dispenser'either with simpleperforated caps l5, or with the flaps provided in association with thecaps. In the former case the dispenser. will function satisfactorily forordinary purposes, but in the latter case it will functionsatisfactorily and perfectly for all purposes and'no matter how it ishandled.

It is apparent that when the container is tilted into the position shownin Fig. 3, or approximately that position, the substance, let us saysalt,

contained in compartment l 4, can readily be dispensed through theperforated cap I 5 thereof, but it is apparent that none of thematerial, say pepper, in the other compartment I5, is able to passthrough the cap thereof owing to the obstruction provided by its flap I9 as a result of V the action of gravity. This is illustrated by theleft-hand flap IS in Fig. 3. Should the dispenser be inadvertentlyhandled in the, manner of a common salt or pepper shaker and heldcompletely upside down, it is apparent from Fig. 3 that both flaps IE!will then be swung by gravity into ob 4. The combination set'forth inclaim 1, said .caps having collars thereon to serve as limit stops Iopenings lying at opposite and equal angles to structing positionsagainst thei respective caps l5, thus preventing either salt orpepperfrom I flowing through the perforations. In the normal position ofthe dispenser, that is,'standing on its base, both flaps 19 are held inunobstruct-- ing position, as shown in Fig. 1.

'the vertical and meeting above the body, perforated caps removablysecured in said openings, each of said caps having a pair of oppositelydisposed recesses in the flange thereof and a flap provided withprojections from the periphery If desired, legends may be printed on thebody l0 near thecaps l5 to indicate the contents of the. compartments ofthe container. The device may of course'be made in any manner as well asof any material; that .is, it imay be molded, stamped, pressed,fabricate'd'of'a'number of independently made sections, orotherwise.

Obviously, modifications in form and structure maybe made withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the invention. The devic may, forinstance, be readily adaptable for-use as a dual liquid .cli'spensen'inan obvious manner. It is apparent from. the above thata useful andextremely practical combination dispenser has beenset forth, whichissimple in construction and inexpensive in cost of manufacture.

1. Av combination dispenser comprising a hol low body having a base andalvertical partition therein dividing the interior thereof into two.compartments, said .compartments having oppositely disposedgpouringopenings through the wallsv of the body with the planes through saidopenings lying atlopposite and equal angles to the 'vertical andmeetingabove thebody, per forated caps removably secured. in said openings,each of said caps having a pair'of oppositely dis posed recesses in the.flange thereof near the lower edge thereof, each'of said caps having aflap provided with oppositely disposed pin-like.

' projections from the peripherythereof near one. edge thereof, saidprojections registering ipivote.

ally in said recesses, said flap normally being. held by gravityiclearof said opening and being adapted to be swung by gravity against saidopening to obstruct the same when the plane through said opening hasbeen moved through the horizontal to an approximately verticalpo-'thereof near' one edge thereof registering pivotally in said recesses,said flap normally being held by gravity clear of saidopemng and beingadapted to be swung by gravity against said opening to obstruct the samewhen the plane through said opening has been moved through thehorizontal to an approximately vertical position. i V

6. A combination dispenser comprising a hollow body having a base and avertical partition therein dividing the interior thereof into two icompartments, said compartments having opporated caps removably securedin said openings, each of said caps having a flange and a flap pivotallysecured near one end of the flap to the flange-of said cap near thelower edge of said flange, said flap being thickened at that portionthereof distant from thepivoted end of the flap,

said flap normally being held by gravity clear of said opening andbeingadapted to be swung by gravity against said opening to obstruct thesame when the plane through said opening has been moved throughthe-horizontal to an approximately vertical position.

'7. The combination set forth in claim 6, having said cap flangeenlarged at a position'opposite to the pivot'axisof said'flap to providea limit stop for said flap in said obstructing position.

. 8. The combination set forth in claim 6,-having said caps providedwithcollars thereon, the pivotal axis of said flap being positioned nearthe lower edge of said cap flange, said collars serving as limit stopsfor said caps when said caps are inserted into said openings to positionsaid pivotal axes at the bottom of said openings.

